Spider-Man and Karate Kid

 

Avengers: Doomsday is about to begin filming, and I wonder what Spider-Man's role in it will be.  I am sure Marvel will want to include him, but his new status quo after No Way Home means that all of his ties to Earth's Mightiest Heroes are gone.  How will a loner like him fit in with the rest of the action?

The Legion of Super-Heroes and The New Warriors

 

Well, this certainly looks like it will be a crowded issue.  Let's hope that the LSH and their time traveling visitors can stop tripping over each other long enough to face of against whatever threat has brought them together!

Captain America and Karate Kid

 Concluding this three-part epic, we now see why Cap had to seek out the LSH's greatest combatant.  I remember as a kid thinking it was odd that out of all the Legionnaires, Karate Kid was the first to have his own solo title.  I guess DC was trying to cash in on the martial arts craze in the 70's and just used whoever they had that fit the bill.

Legion of Super-Heroes and Captain America (Part Two)

 

Presenting the middle chapter of a three-part epic!  We are starting to get an idea of what Captain America's secret mission entails - but just what is he drafting Val Armorr to do?  You'll have to make sure to come back tomorrow for the thrilling conclusion to find out!

Doctor Strange and The Legion of Super-Heroes

 

Here's another cover that comes about as a result of a conversation in the comments section of this blog. Thanks for the idea, Emsley Wyatt! I figured this would be a somewhat cluttered cover, and it is - but I managed to get everyone in there.  Let's just hope that Doctor Strange is a bit more careful with his spell casting than he is in Spider-Man: No Way Home!

Defenders and the Legion of Super-Heroes

 

I'm surprised that I haven't paired up these two teams until now, I had to go back and check just to be sure.  There's enough variety in the memberships of DC's premiere Super Team and Marvel's official Non-Team that any number of line ups could make for an exciting tale with lots of contrasting personalities and power sets.  I'm still hoping to eventually see big budget live action treatments for either team.

Imperial Guard and Legion of Super-Heroes

 

I've been meaning to get both of these groups together on a cover for a while, but it has always been a challenge, given the huge rosters that each team has.  It's more like teaming up two armies! Looking at the final cover, one thing really stands out to me - Dave Cockrum really knew how to design costumes!  

Lieutenant Sulu and Karate Kid

Like many fans, my favorite Star Trek movie is Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, but I will always have a soft spot for IV: The Voyage Home.  One reason it stood out for me was obviously the humor, but I also really enjoyed that the whole cast was given a lot to do, rather than Kirk, Spock and Bones having all the fun.  It was nice to see Sulu, Uhura, Scotty and Chekov going off on missions of their own. 

Karate Kid and Zen: Intergalactic Ninja

I remember being puzzled that of all of the Legion of Super-Heroes to get a solo series, Karate Kid was the first one.   At the time I would have preferred maybe Ultra Boy or Chameleon Lad.  Looking back, I realize that DC was trying to get in on the kung fu/karate craze so it makes more sense to me now.

7 Soldiers of Victory and The X-Men (& 3 More Tales!)

DC's 100-Page Giants always felt like a "full meal" of a comic to me.  You had the big main course, then a couple of sides featuring lesser used fan favorites and finish up with a tasty golden age reprint.  I would complete my reading fully satisfied every time.

Justice League of America Vs. The X-Men (and more!)

When it comes to Anniversary issues, there are a few that really stand out for me.  Probably my favorite is Justice League of America #200, a brilliant story that hearkened back to the team's first adventure and featured the greatest line up of artists that have ever appeared in a single issue - Kane, Bolland, Aparo, Perez, Broderick, Kubert, Giordano and Infantino - just great stuff.  I also have a fondness for Avengers #200 and Detective Comics #500.  It's too bad that with all the relaunches and renumbering that comics go through these days that such milestones are seldom reached anymore.

Legion of Super-Heroes and Guardians of the Galaxy

The first trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy has been released, and while it doesn't reveal much in the way of plot, it looks like a lot of fun.  I really liked the designs of all the characters, Nebula looked especially cool in the quick cuts that were shown of her.  Of course, what I was really curious about was how Rocket Raccoon and Groot would be handled, and I was not disappointed.  What a blast to see Rocket scurrying around Groot's back, firing a machine gun!  The humor seems front and center here, hopefully the film will have it's share of action as well.  I thought that too much wacky humor was a detriment to the latest Iron Man and Thor films, but it looks like it might just work with this movie.

Legion of Super Heroes Vs. The Phoenix

This is a team up that I would have loved to have seen because it represents my favorite eras from two of the  most popular teams of my youth.  The Chris Claremont/Paul Smith run on Uncanny X-Men featured great superhero melodrama with inventive characters, menacing villains and stunning visuals.  The Brood Saga and The return of Phoenix were thrilling to read month to month.  The Legion of Super-Heroes never looked better than when George Perez would illustrate them, and his covers always made me want to read the stories within.  This was when they still had a simple continuity, before Crisis on Infinite Earths.  They never quite seemed to recover from the removal of Superboy from their history.

Karate Kid and Iron Fist

There were a bunch of characters created to reflect the big Kung-Fu craze of the 70's and these were two of my favorites.  Iron Fist had a great look and crossed the superhero and martial arts genres well.  Karate Kid stood out amongst his more alien and powerful LSH allies and even was spun off into his own solo series.  Sure, it didn't last long, but graduating from team member to solo star was a rare move in those days and he beat a lot of higher profile characters to the punch with that achievement.